California – “Check Your Number”

While doing some reading I came across an article that mentioned “Check Your Number”. After doing some more research into Check your Number, I found that this is a California initiative that encourages individuals to check on what their car really requires for a drain interval for their motor oil according to the manufacture. Many people are still under the impression that every automobile needs the engine oil changed every 3000 miles. Although in many vehicles today its just not the case.

Granted modern engines do place more burden on motor oils. Vehicle manufacturers are under pressure to provide fuel-efficient vehicles that produce fewer emissions than ever before. They employ a variety of techniques to improve efficiency and reduce emissions, and nearly all of them negatively impact motor oil. This is a reason so manufacturers are moving to synthetics directly from the factory floor. The engines are smaller, yet produce more power, often rely on turbos and unique fuel injection systems that can increase the amount of contaminants introduced into the oil. Synthetic lubricants contend with these additional stresses better than conventional lubricants. AMSOIL synthetic lubricants deliver the robust film strength, extreme- temperature protection and maximum fuel efficiency automakers are looking for.

When it comes to drain intervals and synthetics, for many there are a fair amount of questions, their website covers some, Ill cover a few others of them below;

Why is there a miles and time limit to oil change intervals?

No matter how well motor oil is formulated, it won’t last forever. Motor oil and vehicle manufacturers have developed general recommendations for the maximum amount of time or miles that the oil can be used; typically these intervals fall between 3,000 and 7,500 miles, depending on the type of service.

AMSOIL synthetic motor oils are formulated using premium synthetic base oils, and the highest-quality additives, that provide extended-drain capabilities. AMSOIL synthetic motor oils achieve greater cleaning powers, while providing better equipment protection over longer oil drain intervals. The unique synthetic formulation and robust TBN retention of AMSOIL synthetic motor oils work to resist oxidation and neutralize the acids that shorten the service lives of other oils. Their characteristic resistance to high-temperature volatility (burn-off) helps reduce oil consumption, while maintaining viscosity over longer periods of time than other oils. Check the product data sheet for specific recommendations.

What is the difference between synthetic and conventional oil?

Motor oil, whether synthetic or petroleum-based, consists of molecular chains of hydrogen and carbon atoms, referred to as hydrocarbons. Petroleum crude oil is a thick, highly flammable dark-brown or greenish liquid with high energy density. Many contaminating elements exist in this complex mixture of hydrocarbons, including sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen and metal components such as nickel or vanadium. Petroleum crude oil is the raw material used for a wide variety of petrochemicals, including solvents, fertilizers, plastics and lubricants.

The oil refining process separates the various types of molecules in the oil by weight, resulting in a concentrated batch suitable for manufacturing products such as gasoline, LPG, kerosene or lubricant base oils. The chemical composition of conventional motor oil can vary substantially depending on the raw crude oil refining process.

While petroleum base oils are refined, synthetic base oils are manufactured and can achieve a higher performance level. Synthetic oil is chemically engineered for a certain molecular composition with a tailored and uniform structure. Such fine-tuned control over the final molecular composition of synthetic oils is the key to their superior performance properties. Designing molecular structures in a planned and orderly fashion results in molecules, and end-products, that are far more stable than their refined petroleum counterparts.

Sorry about that last one, its a little complicated.

It nice to see someone else really talking about and encouraging others to check into extended drain intervals. Not only will this save money, time, and if using good synthetic motor oil like AMSOIL it’ll improve their performance, gas mileage and it will be able to make a big impact on the amount of drain oil that is reintroduced back into the system for processing.

Before I finish up, think of this real quick:

The average driver does around 12000 to 15000 miles a year. Working with those numbers your looking at between 4-5 oil changes to get you through the year. Now think if your vehicles manufacture recommends that you change the oil every 6000 miles. You just dropped your oil changes down to 2 for the year. If you your average oil change is around $35 your looking at $140-$175 in oil changes. But if you only need to do it twice a year your ringing in at around $70. Really anyway you cut it, by following the recommended oil changes laid out by the manufacture its going to save you time and money.